Arrow Episode (2×06) Review – “Keep Your Enemies Closer”

Arrow Dug Deep in Comic Mythology This Week With a Bevy of Comic Book Characters

Team Arrow heads off to Russia this week to rescue John Diggle’s “friend” Lyla Michaels, whom we met in season 1. It turns out Oliver isn’t the only one with a secret past. Lyla really is Diggle’s ex-wife and she’s gone missing while tracking Deadshot for Dig. After failure to report to work, her superiors at A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group United Support) go to Diggle for help locating their wayward agent. In the comics, A.R.G.U.S. is an off shoot of Homeland Security that deals primarily with superhuman threats and was originally founded by Steve Trevor (Wonder Woman’s beau) after Darkseid Invasion. In “Keep Your Enemies Closer,” Team Arrow had to rescue the damsel in distress while working alongside one of their enemies – Deadshot. This was a long overdue look at Diggle’s life, and was filled with a slew of DC comic characters, some sexy times for both John and Ollie, and possibly a couple of broken hearts along the way.

Checkmate! Amanda Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) aka “The Wall” aka “The White Queen” makes her appearance as the head of A.R.G.U.S. and possibly the “Suicide Squad” in future episodes. Fans of the CW’s Smallville will remember her from season 9 (Played by Pam Grier). In this episode, though, Waller’s codename is “Mockingbird.” Got that straight? Well, she pays John a visit to inform him that Lyla has been missing for a spell and was located in a Russian Gulag. When Diggle decides to run to her aid, Team Arrow travels with him to offer their support. One of the greatest things about the DC Universe is how connected the stories all are. You can change the hero, but the villains can be the same even though each hero has villains that are specific to their book. Amanda Waller is one of those villains. She pops up across the books, and no matter whether it’s Batman, Superman, or the Green Arrow, she always manages to hold her own. While we haven’t seen much of her yet, the possibilities are endless, and I can’t wait to see how she uses the information she has about “how Diggle and Oliver spend their nights” to her own benefit. (More…)